UPDATE: Josh Hardy’s family says experimental drug is working

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Josh Hardy

UPDATE: Josh Hardy’s family says experimental drug is working

Josh Hardy

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WTVR) — The Fredericksburg parents who fought to have their seven-year-old son treated with an experimental drug say the medicine is working.

(SOURCE: Save Josh Facebook page)

Josh Hardy, who has beaten cancer four times, began being treated with Chimerix’s Brincidofovir at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis last week.

Aimee Hardy, Josh’s mother, said in a blog post that her son is “very close to getting out of the ICU.”

“After 2 doses of the Brincidofovir, the log copies in Josh’s blood went down to 1000. GOD is truly moving mountains in Josh’s life. And we are grateful we are able to be used to bring GOD Glory,” Hardy wrote.

His mother said that Josh is improving because the drug is suppressing the virus, but that he is not out of the woods yet.

“Josh has tremendous tummy pain because his body is not ridding itself of fluid because his kidneys are not functioning…. The kidney function is the last major key for Josh’s full recovery.”

Doctors had said the drug could significantly improve his condition in as little as two weeks.

Josh, who contracted a rare virus when his immune system was compromised during a life-saving bone marrow transplant, gained national attention after his family petitioned the North Carolina-based drug maker to allow him to be treated with the experimental drug.

6 comments

Manalishi.

Hoping for a speedy recovery! As an “i told you so” moment,,,, The MSM (including this venue) formally misled us to believe that this potentially life saving drug was being with held soley by the pharma company. Quote,”drug maker reached an agreement with the FDA”.

Earl

Renee Lampkin

Thank God for one and the FDA and not to leave out the maker of this life saving drug. Prayer is more powerful than most think or believe but unless you knew this precious gift from GOD, you really don’t know just how sweet and kind this little angel truly is. JOSH has fought this battle long enough and I believe that there was a reason this all happened the way it did and I hope that the 20 some other patients who are getting ready to hopefully experience this life saving miracle drug. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS. Lots of LOVE to the Hardy family, I Love you all!

Duane Peters

Poster Manalishi obviously knows nothing about the drug development and approval process. There is a reason that the FDA does not allow companies developing new drugs to just hand them out anytime they want. Experimental drugs are subjected to rigorous, controlled, and blinded scientifically valid clinical studies to prove they are both safe and effective. The FDA does have rules in place for compassionate use of experimental therapies. Those rules are in place for a reason, which ensures that companies can’t choose to only respond to cases where a drug has a high chance of success and turn down cases where there is little or no chance for success. Why? To prevent building a false case that a drug is effective, based solely on a single, highly publicized case, such as this one. While FDA’s stringent rules may seem complex and burdensome, they are in place for a reason. Ask any person today who is living without the benefit of arms or legs because their mothers were given Thalidomide back in the 50’s.